Chimps We Know
The "F" Family
The "F" family is one of the most well-known and well-loved families of the Gombe Stream Research Centre. Old Flo, the matriarch of the family, made possible some of Jane Goodall's early observations of infant development and family relations. Flo and her daughter Fifi have created a large, close-knit, and high-ranking family that has taught us a great deal about chimpanzee society. We owe a great debt of thanks to this family.
Flo
(approx. 1929 - 1972)
Flo was one of the first females to follow David Greybeard to Jane's camp in 1961. What's more, when she came into oestrus in 1963 she was extraordinarily sexually attractive to the many males who then began to follow her into camp.
Most had never ventured into this strange and-to them-frightening place. But such was Flo's appeal that they could not bear to leave her. And luckily, we met more and more Gombe chimps!
Flo's high rank and social assertiveness influenced her offspring as they developed. Her son, Figan, with the support of his brother Faben, became top-ranking male for six years (1973-1979). Daughter Fifi went on to become top-ranking female herself.
Flo, that wonderful mother, with her great love of and zest for life and her indomitable spirit was given the rare of honour of an obituary in Britain's prestigious newspaper, The Sunday Times.
The sad story of Flint
Flo gave birth to at least five offspring: Faben, Figan, Fifi, Flint, and Flame. She was a wonderful, supportive, affectionate and playful mother to the first three. But she looked very old when the time came to wean young Flint and she had not yet fully succeeded in weaning him when she gave birth to Flame.
When Flame died at the age of six months, Flo stopped even trying to push Flint to independence. Flint became abnormally dependent on his old mother and when Flo died in 1972, he was unable to cope without her. He stopped eating and interacting with others and showed signs of clinical depression.
Soon thereafter, Flint's immune system became too weak to keep him alive. He died at the age of eight and a half, within one month of losing his mother.
Fifi
(1958 - 2004)
Fifi, daughter of Flo, was the last surviving chimpanzee from Dr. Goodall's early days as a researcher. Jane watched her grow from a lively and curious 2-year-old to a high-ranking female and one of Gombe's most successful mothers.
Like Flo, Fifi had a relaxed relationship with the adult males and was just as sexually popular as her mother before her. Indeed, when Fifi was a 10-year-old adolescent she was so preoccupied with the new experience of sex that Jane thought she was something of a nymphomaniac!
Fifi gave birth to nine offspring-a Gombe record: Freud, Frodo, Fanni, Flossi, Faustino, Ferdinand, Fred, Flirt and Furaha.
Fifi was also a grandmother. Fanni lost her her first son, Fax, but later gave birth to two sons, Fudge and then Fundi. Flossi, to our surprise, after visiting the males of the Mitumba community in the north several times during oestrus, decided to make her home with the northerners. She gave birth to her first infant, Forest, in 1997 and her second son, Fansi, in 2001. Flossi and Forest are important members of their new community.
Sadly, Fifi disappeared in the fall of 2004 and is now presumed dead.
Freud
(1971 - )
Fifi's oldest son, Freud, benefited from the strength and position of his powerful family. As he grew up he was supported not only by his mother, who was rising in rank at that time, but also by her elder brother Figan, who was alpha male during Freud's impressionable juvenile years.
When he was seven years old, Freud began the long task of intimidating the females of the community. As he dared to challenge the higher-ranking females, they turned on him. But Fifi always rushed to her son's rescue-and together they dominated Freud's adversaries. Without doubt, this built up Freud's self-confidence.
Freud became alpha male at the age of 22 in February 1993. He was a popular laid-back alpha until the fall of 1997, when he became weakened by sarcoptic mange and his brother Frodo took over.
Frodo
(1976 - )
Frodo's childhood was very different from his elder brother Freud's. Fifi's first-born had spent hours-sometimes days-alone with his mother away from other adults.
By the time Frodo was born, Freud had been weaned, could travel on his own four limbs and make his own small nest at night. But he was still emotionally dependent on Fifi and travelled with her and little Frodo-who gained an ever-present playmate, role model, baby-sitter and protector. He spent hours watching his elder brother often imitating him (or trying to).
Frodo soon became something of a bully. And one of Gombe's few accurate stone-throwers! He hit on the idea of moving ahead of other chimps on a hill and rolling huge rocks down toward them-the rocks ricocheting from one tree to another causing the chimps (and sometimes Jane) to scramble out of the way.
Frodo became notorious when he leapt at and pummelled Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson when the artist visited Gombe.
Battles for alpha position
For a long time, Freud and Frodo travelled together. But their relationship gradually became tense. By the time Frodo was in his late teens, it was clear he had his eye on the alpha position.
He challenged his brother only in the company of other young and restive males, at which time Freud would display wildly at him until Frodo was terrorised. When Frodo was 20 years old, he weighed some 120 pounds-the heaviest chimp known at Gombe. And in 1997, when Freud became sick with mange, Frodo was able to overthrow him as alpha.
Frodo ruled with brute force until December 2002, when he himself grew ill, became subject to attack and was forced to hide from the community. Researchers wondered if he would survive the disease that had painfully reduced his once magnificent form. But as of early in 2004, Frodo appears to have mended, although he is no longer alpha.
